Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may believe that “the age of privacy is over,” but users of world’s most popular social networking site are actively concerned with protecting their privacy — especially from their employers.
According to an international survey of Facebook users, 58% reported that they use the site at least occasionally while at work. However, nearly three out of four users have not become friends with their boss via the site. And 77% report that they use the privacy settings of the site actively.
Sean Sullivan, F-Secure security advisor, says, “We’re finding that Facebook users are more privacy savvy that some experts assume. As Facebook moves to make more and more information public, its users seem to be increasingly aware that their privacy control is at stake.”
According to the survey, 35% of users said that they’ve posted something on Facebook that they later regretted. Facebook users have to be aware that anything they post on the site — whether privacy protected or not — could easily become public.
Effectively managing an online presence is crucial for jobseekers. Depending on the country, employers have been using Google to vet job candidates for years and screening of social networking profiles is now a standard practice for many recruiters and hiring managers. Employees around the globe — including military officials — have also been reprimanded for publicly inappropriate or offensive postings made on the world’s most popular social network.
Facebook users also seem to be careful when it comes to backing up the photos they post on the site. Seventy per cent said that they have backups of at least some of the photos they’ve shared.
Facebook is a free service but users ‘pay’ by viewing advertising and making our lives into content that can be searched, shared and monetised. Users are willing to make a bargain, but they are also demanding Facebook for more control over what they share and with whom.
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